Abstract
Introduction: Second Victim Syndrome (SVS) describes the phenomenon in which a caregiver experiences a traumatic psychological and emotional response to an adverse patient event or medical error. Using quantitative survey analysis, we aim to better understand the personal factors that affect SVS development and recovery. Methods: Caregivers at a small urban academic medical center who had experienced an adverse patient event in the past six months were invited to take part in this institution-wide, voluntary, quantitative, cross-sectional study. Three surveys were administered; the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory (HRLSI) was used as a surrogate to measure stressful life events. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used as a measure of the stress a provider senses following a traumatic event. The Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST) was used to assess the medical provider’s emotional response and level of institutional support in response to an adverse clinical event. Results: Analysis of SVEST vs. IES-R demonstrated that respondents with greater self-perception of personal distress reported increased psychological (p=0.0008) and physical (p=0.0015) distress. Respondents who reported higher HRLSI scores had a greater perception that non-work-related support (p=0.04) such as family support was inadequate; however, these respondents were less likely to perceive institutional support (p=0.04) as inadequate. The results indicate that caregivers with more perceived life stresses believe that they do not have strong non-work-related support services, which is a known protective factor; thus, they may perceive any institutional support as more adequate. Conclusion: This study suggests that personal life risk factors, institutional support, and non-work related support may play an important role in the development of SVS and the perception of stress and wellness in the setting of SVS.
Highlights
Second Victim Syndrome (SVS) describes the phenomenon in which a caregiver experiences a traumatic psychological and emotional response to an adverse patient event or medical error
The goal of this study was to assess the effects that personal factors have on the second victim experience and recovery from an adverse patient event
We aim to better understand the effects that personal factors have on the second victim experience after unanticipated adverse patient outcomes
Summary
Second Victim Syndrome (SVS) describes the phenomenon in which a caregiver experiences a traumatic psychological and emotional response to an adverse patient event or medical error. We aim to better understand the personal factors that affect SVS development and recovery. Altruism is one of the major driving forces in a caregiver’s decision to pursue a career in healthcare. The Hippocratic Oath imparts the value of altruism and is built upon the dictum “do no harm.”. Inadvertent medical errors that result in patient harm are a reality. Current studies suggest that medical errors result in 210,000 to 440,000 deaths in the United States each year [1]. The decisive factor will be how [they] handle them” [2]
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